Isn't technology wonderful

[GUMPY]

This year we’ve had around £50 rebated by usage reductions when requested. Plus we had half price electric on many Sundays between specified hours. Not possible without the Smart meter.

I did well last winter on Octopus "savings sessions" managed well over £100 they haven't been signed off this year yet so still waiting to see what will happen.
As for half price, don't get that as on a time of use tariff however the price does go negative for about 15 days a year or so depending on the wind, its great, they pay me to use electricity and pay me to export. just looked back at the figures and that explains why August was so cheap for me, there were several days when my average unit price was minus 1.5p/kWh and export was on top of that.

 

[RogerL]

I don't ever remember having to have the tariff changed on my non smart meter and I was a tariff junkie, swapping whenever it was advantageous. All the old meters were was a readout of kWh used so the actual tariff was irrelevant as the cost was calculated from the number of kWh. Occasionally there would be a need to swap the time clock if you had economy seven.
My smart meter along with my TOU tariff and solar has completely changed the way we use electricity in this house it has become a game to see just how far down I can get the bill. The best so far was last August £1.31 plus the standing charge which was more than covered by the £48.15 I got from exporting.

Pre-payment meters have to be changed whenever the tariff changed - remotely with a functioning smart meter but needs a visit to the property if it's not functioning proerly or it's a non-smart meter.

 

[RogerL]

This year we’ve had around £50 rebated by usage reductions when requested. Plus we had half price electric on many Sundays between specified hours. Not possible without the Smart meter.

The big reductions from usage reductions are only possible if you previously had "excessive" consumption - we saved just pence on these rebates.

 

[GUMPY]

Pre-payment meters have to be changed whenever the tariff changed - remotely with a functioning smart meter but needs a visit to the property if it's not functioning proerly or it's a non-smart meter.

that explains why ive never seen a tariff changed locally, I've never had a pre payment meter

 

[otherclive]

The big reductions from usage reductions are only possible if you previously had "excessive" consumption - we saved just pence on these rebates.

I don’t consider our usage “excessive” as shown below

 

[RogerL]

I don’t consider our usage “excessive” as shown below

If you were able to save £50 by changing your consumption pattern, it surely must have been excessive previously.

 

[Mr Plodd]

Not excessive, just a little higher would be a more accurate description I think! Besides Clive is doing exactly the sensible thing, he reduces his consumption at critical times!

My time of use tariff rockets between 16:00 & 19:00 (35p/kwh) but I have battery storage so never draw from the grid at those times. I charge my battery overnight at about 15p/kwh or even better from my solar panels if the sun is shining (during the day of course)

Smart meters work wellfior some, but not others, so there is no right or wrong answer as to whether they are "good" or not.

 

[otherclive]

If you were able to save £50 by changing your consumption pattern, it surely must have been excessive previously.

If you care to search my posts going back some years you will see that our energy usage has always been low. In fact just prior to Ukraine we were still on low tariffs from BG, and it's only this last couple of years that our tariff and standing charges have risen. Here's one post for starters.

British Gas acting as a bank on my behalf

My fixed low rate tariff ends at the end of April so I thought I would claim my energy credit which has built up to £584.40, in part due to HMG's largesse, but even without that money our £80 per month would have still seen us in credit. Normally you can obtain a refund by the online account...

forums.practicalcaravan.com

 

[GUMPY]

My use is anything but excessive, yet I managed to "save" 47kWh over last winter Savings Sessions by moving any consumption out of the peak periods and exporting during the sessions. This paid a total of £117 so Octopus paid me an average £2.50 a unit to save. You can't assume because someone saved during these sessions that it was paid at the standard rate and they were excessive users.

Oh and I got my 15p a unit for export on top of that🤭

 

[GUMPY]

As an aside, if it wasn't for those of us selflessly curtailing our use there may well have been power cuts 😱

 

[Buckman]

We don't have solar panels, battery etc but we managed to reduce our consumption significantly over the past several months. On checking a few weeks ago we were over £750 in credit so requested a refund of some of it.

 

[Dustydog]

We don't have solar panels, battery etc but we managed to reduce our consumption significantly over the past several months. On checking a few weeks ago we were over £750 in credit so requested a refund of some of it.

Clearly you have been away many months in the caravan 🤪

 

[Buckman]

Clearly you have been away many months in the caravan 🤪

We can only dream. LOL!

 

[Dustydog]

Too many infrastructure projects run into problems - HS2 anyone.

Way over budget.
Started at the wrong end
Totally mismanaged.
Has the Worlds most expensive Bat tunnel £100 million!

 

[ProfJohnL]

If you were able to save £50 by changing your consumption pattern, it surely must have been excessive previously.

Your not comparing apples to apples!

The consumption is a physical quantity, the saving is a monetary value, and as this thread has amply indicated the cost (i.e. the £ per kWh) can vary with the time its used. By changing the pattern of usage meaning delaying using some power from high tariff periods to low tariff periods means you can reduce costs but still having the same overall consumption.

 

[Tux]

The irony, without space exploration and satellites would that phone in your hand exist?

I don't know anyone who uses a satellite phone on a daily basis. A typical smart phone uses terrestrial radio. Satellite phones do exist but very expensive and used in very remote places with no terrestrial signal for 100's of miles.

 

[Tux]

T

I don't get all this space exploration, is it so that we can destroy other countries from the comfort of our own? Or inhabit other planets and destroy them? Money would be better spent on sorting out our own problems.

We can and should do both.

 

[Sam Vimes]

One of the important factors of intelligent life in my opinion is curiosity and inquisitiveness. This covers many, many aspects of physical science, social science, arts, history and many other 'ologies;' . The endeavours within the scientic and engineering fields for example are networked around the planet and developments in one area are often picked up and applied in other areas.

Don't believe for a minute that just because some people don't understand space exploration it isn't having a practical affect on our lifes and helping solve these so called 'own problems' - of which there may be many.

The question got raised about smartphones in our hands not existing. True that the average smartphone doesn't communicate directly with satellites but instead use an earthbound celluar network on the first leg. However, much of the functionality of these useful devices does rely on satellite technology, which without getting into space wouldn't exist.

International calls may take hops between satellites; data equally so and if your reading this on whatever device you have then this message has bounced across the atlantic a couple of time - possibly using a satellite link.

Location services rely on the GPS network, so your Sat Nav App, Google Maps, and so on use this network and data from the satellites is received on your phone.

The weather app you may consult gets much of its information from satellites although not directly.

The spin offs from space program development are enormous if you'd care to check.

Just as one example which is close to home. Back in the '60s one NASA research centre was looking for a way to improve safety and comfort in its aircraft - the development was Memory Foam. Many of us here use matresses or toppers based on this development.

And before someone pipes up and says this is hardly a world problem - just do your homework and look at what else has come about due to cross fertilisation of different fields of human endeavour.

 

[Buckman]

Unfortunately war also brings a lot of advancements that are beneficial to mankind i.e. the jet.

 

[otherclive]

War also brings a lot of advancements that are beneficial to mankind i.e. the jet.

I think I’d rather opt for space exploration as a means of advancing mankind. 😂

Whittle patented the jet concept in 1930 and ran his engine in 1937. I think even without the WW2 there would have been a big leap forward in aero technology.

 

[Richtee180]

One of the important factors of intelligent life in my opinion is curiosity and inquisitiveness. This covers many, many aspects of physical science, social science, arts, history and many other 'ologies;' . The endeavours within the scientic and engineering fields for example are networked around the planet and developments in one area are often picked up and applied in other areas.

Don't believe for a minute that just because some people don't understand space exploration it isn't having a practical affect on our lifes and helping solve these so called 'own problems' - of which there may be many.

The question got raised about smartphones in our hands not existing. True that the average smartphone doesn't communicate directly with satellites but instead use an earthbound celluar network on the first leg. However, much of the functionality of these useful devices does rely on satellite technology, which without getting into space wouldn't exist.

International calls may take hops between satellites; data equally so and if your reading this on whatever device you have then this message has bounced across the atlantic a couple of time - possibly using a satellite link.

Location services rely on the GPS network, so your Sat Nav App, Google Maps, and so on use this network and data from the satellites is received on your phone.

The weather app you may consult gets much of its information from satellites although not directly.

The spin offs from space program development are enormous if you'd care to check.

Just as one example which is close to home. Back in the '60s one NASA research centre was looking for a way to improve safety and comfort in its aircraft - the development was Memory Foam. Many of us here use matresses or toppers based on this development.

And before someone pipes up and says this is hardly a world problem - just do your homework and look at what else has come about due to cross fertilisation of different fields of human endeavour.

 

[Richtee180]

I'm guessing Sky tv and watching international football matches isn't really on most people's lists of having enjoyed the benefits of space exploration either.

 

[RogerL]

I think I’d rather opt for space exploration as a means of advancing mankind. 😂

Whittle patented the jet concept in 1930 and ran his engine in 1937. I think even without the WW2 there would have been a big leap forward in aero technology.

War accelerates the rate of development - without WW2 development of the jet engine would have been much slower.

 

[Gafferbill]

Isn't technology wonderful....yes electronic tailgate on cars!

The tailgate on my car started only opening half way. I thought one or both of the electric struts had failed.
Started researching cost of parts and how to fit new as wiring dissappears into roof structure.
Looked on U tube for instructive videos and came across the following....

1: Open tailgate electrically to it's position using key fob.
2: Manually open tailgate from this position to the desired position.
3: Press and hold button on base of tailgate until you hear 2 bleeps.
4: Tailgate will now open to the new set position from the key fob.

Who knew...

 

[borderbilly]

Isn't technology wonderful....yes electronic tailgate on cars!

The tailgate on my car started only opening half way. I thought one or both of the electric struts had failed.
Started researching cost of parts and how to fit new as wiring dissappears into roof structure.
Looked on U tube for instructive videos and came across the following....

1: Open tailgate electrically to it's position using key fob.
2: Manually open tailgate from this position to the desired position.
3: Press and hold button on base of tailgate until you hear 2 bleeps.
4: Tailgate will now open to the new set position from the key fob.

Who knew...

If you care to read the handbook that came with it, it's all in there.